Gossip Girl, Afterglow, Chuck and Blair
by Firefly01
Summary: Blair and Chuck have an awkward moment after sleeping together on the night of her birthday party.


**Afterglow **

Chuck sat on the edge of the bed and pulled his shoes on quickly. Blair was certainly in a mood, and if it was a fight she was after, he thought it would be best to be completely dressed first. He glanced over his shoulder to see her adjusting her pantyhose and grinned. They'd left those on.

Blair looked up, catching his eyes on her and scowled. Idiot. Stupid, desperate bitch! Sleeping with Chuck had been a bad enough mistake, but doing it again was beyond irredeemable. It was going to take a hell of a lot more than God's forgiveness to wipe the slate clean from this one.

"Should I even ask what's wrong?"

Blair rolled her eyes and stepped over to the mirror to fix her hair. "If you need to, you're too stupid anyway." She finger combed her hair and stared at her eyes deeply in the mirror. She looked…different. The other night, she'd been surprised to find that she did _not_ look at all different after losing her virginity. She'd stared into the mirror for hours attempting to discern a change and found none. It was certainly a puzzle.

This though, was not. Obviously the difference this time was that she was an enormous, raging slut. She noted the color present in her cheeks and wondered if slut might not be a bad look for her.

Chuck appeared in the mirror behind her, disrupting her thoughts. He grinned again, and she resisted the urge to plant her high heel square in his crotch. Speaking of enormous sluts…

"You can drop the Cheshire, Romeo," she informed him. "This will not be happening again."

Chuck seemed amused, sending Blaire's blood pressure skyrocketing. "I think you'll find that sex can become quite….addictive," he replied with a knowing smile.

"Not for this girl it isn't," Blaire answered, whirling around and shoving him out of the way. "Not with you."

Chuck's frame stiffened, and the grin left his face. "And why not me?" he asked, defensive. The memory of Blair's form beneath him flashed through his mind. She hadn't had a problem with him then, and in fact had quite enjoyed his attentions. The way her body received him so tenderly, her arms and legs wrapped around him so tightly, told another story entirely.

She stood there in front of him, arms down at her sides, face held in a mock angry look. He knew that look well, had seen it many times before. She was trying to cover up a bad case of nerves. Why was she pretending? Why wouldn't she make eye contact with him now when she'd made love with her eyes open before?

The answer was obvious, of course. She would have preferred Nate. It was something that had plagued Chuck since the first night in the limo. He was her second choice, or worse, no real choice at all.

"Why not me?" he repeated, actually wanting to know the answer.

Blaire swallowed and rolled her eyes again. Why did she have to explain everything? "This was a mistake. A stupid mistake, and it won't happen again. I felt…vulnerable tonight, but that's over."

Damn it, if Chuck didn't actually look upset.

"I appreciate what you did for me tonight, but… the bet's over. You won, you've been rewarded. Now let's just get back to our lives, shall we?"

"You think this happened because of the wager?" Chuck asked, stepping forward. His eyes held an intensity that was hard to look away from.

"I doesn't matter, really Chuck. I told you, it was a mistake."

"This had nothing to do with the wager," he insisted.

"Chuck," she said softly in defeat. "I know you. I know how you are. Let's not pretend that this is more than it really is."

He closed the distance between them, and looked deeply into her eyes, his hands cupping her face. The look in his eyes was pleading and soft, and the quick change in his demeanor left her feeling dizzy and off balance.

"I don't know what this is," he admitted, with an honesty that startled her. "All I know is that it's new for me. You're one of my closest friends Blair, and you know you're not just some random girl to me."

Blair sighed, and gently removed his hands from her face. She didn't know how she felt, or what she believed, but she did know that his touch still burned her skin.

"Look," he said, offering a slight smile. "We'll just take this one day at a time. No big promises or declarations. Let's just see how it goes."

The sounds of the party still going on turned Blair's attention to what was happening outside of the room. They were all out there, having fun and probably laughing about her and Nate's breakup. How they loved to gossip about the troubles of a spoiled princess!

Wouldn't they just die if they knew what had happened in here only minutes before? It was vivid proof that she wasn't unwanted, but the cons of such an announcement made her cringe. Blair shivered, feeling like she was just one step away from becoming Paris Hilton. No, it was best to keep this quiet.

"All right, but we can't tell anybody," she said finally, regaining her composure.

Chuck smiled and began to walk towards her again. She put a hand up to stop him. "But stop this lovey-dovey shit, or I'm changing my mind."

He nodded, and she left the room, hoping like hell that the people at the party wouldn't be able to see the change in her. They didn't, and each hugged and offered their condolences for her breakup. When Chuck returned to the party, he took a glass of Cristal and went to observe from a corner. Knowing he was there was unnerving, but still, fun in a way.

She smiled and acted the part of the perfect hostess, secretly jumping up and down inside. She was a woman who had just been laid, and no one had a clue. It was like being a double agent or something. Society girl by day, naughty Lolita by night. Hmm, maybe this thing had its merits after all?


End file.
